Hiking – Curious Bystander

Perthshire Highlands and its many walks – Blair Atholl (Glen Tilt) / Revision of my last year (making up for my lack of Blogging) –

That’s right, I’ve not been blogging for quite a long time, but now am much freer to do so.

Above is where I was last year on a Far East trip. This shot is the pool in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur where I was staying. For such a view (with amenities) it was surprisingly inexpensive and I no doubt (as everyone should!) will return.

I’ve spent a lot of time in the Perthshire Highlands recently in Scotland, exploring areas north of Pitlochry, including Blair Atholl and Aviemore. Recently, we decided on another short walk—about an hour and a half to two hours—near Blair Atholl, specifically within the Blair Atholl estate, home to the castle and its reputed private army. It was a fascinating walk.

It’s easy to get lost in the charm of this landscape. Tiny hamlets, abandoned churches, deep gorges, and lush scenery unfold along the way, accompanied by the sight of goats, Highland cows, and migrating geese. The trail was well-marked, making for a smooth and enjoyable hike.

We followed the black trail, a steady 90-minute route of gentle ascents and descents, before heading to the House of Bruar for some indulgent—if entirely unnecessary—posh food.

It’s been cold in Scotland recently – A cold winters walk in Pitlochry, Perthshire

Yes, what a cold winter it has been in Glasgow and all over Scotland over the last few weeks. We decided to go for a walk in Pitlochry again, specifically in the more northern part of the village, an “Upper Pitlochry”, if you can call it that.

The first thing we noticed was the abundance of beautiful Victorian buildings in the village; something that I hadn’t really appreciated too much before (the sheer quantity of them). Who knows, maybe I’ll find some more specific examples and discuss the actual history of them.

Checking the Wikipedia article on the village, it describes the area as a “largely Victorian town”, making our walk up to the north part, I presume the older part, quite interesting.

Eventually, we made our way to the Golf Club. Along the journey, we were surprised to find a small lake, frozen solid with ducks standing on it. It looked completely out of place. Was it really that cold?!

Upon reaching the Golf Club, it was eerie to see that some golf had actually taken place that day! Maybe the fog, along with an orange ball, added a mystical touch to the surroundings. At least you’d have an excuse then, as to just how shite your golf was!

We decided to visit the restaurant, which was not that bad, and then meandered back down to the village / town.

A New Year’s Day walk and Street Festival in Perthshire Highland

We started our journey from central Pitlochry once again, passing by the beautiful bowling green in the centre.

And then made our way to the quaint village of Moulin, just about a kilometre or so north of the town (I’ve blogged about this before).

This time we decided to explore the cemetery. It proved to be quite fascinating, with its different graves and rich history. There was also a lingering fog which added an eerie atmosphere.

Continuing on a familiar route, we passed an old castle, although not much of it remains today.

We traversed up and down several times until we reached the Black Spout.

I recently read about a tragic incident where someone fell 70 feet to their death in North Scotland a couple of weeks ago. Trust me; it’s easier to do than people realize, especially when distracted by taking photos in the middle of nowhere with their mobile phones.

Fortunately, we navigated the area safely and proceeded towards Athol Palace hotel, capturing shots of the small 9-hole golf course that surrounds the hotel.

Perhaps one day, I’ll write an article about the numerous 9-hole courses I’ve encountered in Scotland. It seems like every old hotel in the Highlands of Scotland has one. It would be interesting to discover who plays on them and who designs them.

Afterwards, we continued to central Pitlochry, as there was a street fest on New Year’s Day.

It was quite enjoyable and bustling. While the event had the obligatory hot chocolate and a mulled wine place, I think they could have offered more food choices and beverage options. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant experience. My partner and I decided to partake in a Gay Gordon or Canadian Barn dance, which turned out to be quite enjoyable. Despite the cold weather, the absence of rain added to the overall atmospheric charm.

The Cateran Trail – Part 4 – Bridge of Cally to Blairgowrie – 2 years after the last post!

It’s been some time for us to post here about this walk, and we STILL have a couple of stages to do.

This was a very much shorter version of the trail and we did NOT travel from Kirkmichael, but from Bridge of Cally. So as as of now, there are only two parts remaining; Bridge of Cally to Kirkton of Glenisla & then onwards to Lair.

The first part, to be honest, was a mess of detours, gravel and confusing signposting; but we got onto the moor in the end. Just follow the fence for a few miles!

In total, it was just under seven (easy) miles on foot, with brilliant weather and all in a southerly direction. The terrain was also quite easy but with outstanding views.

It was actually a very easy walk, and the weather was outstanding.

Once on the “high” plateau, it was more or less downhill, with not much in between.

As I remember, there was only one, very small settlement on the way, that offered eggs for sale!

And there were still enough signs to encourage you that you were on the right track.

From here, it was more or less downhill to Blairgowrie (forgive the simply awful website!)

It was interesting, that Blairgowrie calls itself the Raspberry Capital of Scotland, and coming down from above, no doubt it being in a valley, contributes to its “warmer” Scottish temperature. You can see the raspberry plantings / farms below.

Before we arrived, we noticed an abundance of garlic under many trees, but believe that it is not edible? We didn’t try it!

The town itself was very clean and looked exactly as I thought it should. We decided to catch a reliable bus service, back to Bridge of Cally (it was very easy to do this), and have our tea there, at the Bridge of Cally hotel where we were staying.

I believe there are only a few stages left; which I hope to finish in 2024.

Craigower Hill – Another small walk in Perthshire Highlands

What a shot! And a “castle” in the background, but it’s not a castle, it’s Athol Palace Hotel.

And yes, that IS a golf course there, Pitlochry Golf Club. Excellent cafe by the way.

We tried a very minor walk, from Pitlochry, that darling Victorian town in Perthshire Highlands, to a small National Trust owned hill, Craigower.

What an easy, interesting and surprisingly steep walk / hike. It started in the town, or at least close by to the aforementioned golf club, and then after passing by it, you walk straight up (below).

At one point, it’s necessary to cross directly in front of the club house and 18th hole if you wish, we did a slight detour around the course via an easier road, and could look back at the course and Pitlochry.

After this, it was straight up the hill track.

I imagine it’s impressive on the “summit”, but we found another person, no doubt a little crazy, who was in the midst of a wild blueberry / blaeberry patch, collecting these for later use.

We decided to do the same, and to take in the views from the top. From here, it’s possible to hike down to the next settlement, a metropolis called Killercrankie, which has an excellent cafe / National Trust property.

We went back the same way, this time through the course.

Where we did lunch.

A walk around Moulin, just north of Pitlochry in Perthshire Highlands

As I am actually part-living here in the Highlands nowadays, it’s giving me the opportunity to do more “things” here, without the need of hurrying back down to Glasgow after each trip – what a relief!

First, forgive the photos as I had set the camera to the RAW format for some reason, and then had to convert to JPEG.

Moulin is basically a sister “city” to Pitlochry just to the north, and is a wonderful wee walk to go around the north side of the town, whilst walking around the periphery of it. There is also a possibility to use this path to walk the nearby Corbett of Ben Vrackie.

What is interesting here, is not only the Moulin Hotel, but the attached brewery.

It wasn’t open at the time of our Sunday walk, but is during weekdays. I’ve had the beer in the hotel bar, and it’s well worth the effort to come here.

Following on from here, we went west and then headed a bit south, with us winding up in the Pitlochry Golf Club restaurant. I thought it would be empty – it wasn’t! (Ed; Is there anything else to do here on a Sunday?) – How dare you! Of course there is.

What I found quite interesting here, is not only that the course was 18 holes (I thought it would only be a 9 hole course), but that it also has a 6 hole pitch & putt course, that is ideal for children or for people who wish to work on there short game; something that is quite progressive and something that I feel golf must do, to make the game more accessible these days.

In addition, I noted from an information board that Pitlochry was once called the “Switzerland of Scotland”; this was something COMPLETELY new to me!

St Andrews, Scotland – Part 1

What a lovely, self-contained city-village, a new word.

I’ve been here many times before, but not for a quick, New Year break. This place has everything; from the Cathedral ruins, to the beach, to the golf courses & museums, to the University, to a thriving craft beer / brewery scene, to a very compact city centre, ideal for walking, etc.

Room, view from room; it was Christmas season

I decided for a change, to go luxury; not really my scene, but the Old Course Hotel had everything for the discerning traveller, including excellent views of the Old Course itself.

The amazing thing, is that the Old Course is closed to golfers on the Sunday (to my knowledge) that resulted in us being allowed (along with many tourists, people with dogs, etc) to simply wander about on it – how cool! And for you who are not golfers, it’s a lovely, manicured walk.

From the “Road Hole” – Number 17, to the Road Hole bunker, to the 18th

At the end of the walk, you come to the 18th green, and the Royal and Ancient Clubhouse.

More later.

Spittal of Glenshee / Perthshire visit – Part 2

Continuing on from Part 1, I decided to stay at the delightful Dalmunzie Castle hotel– a throwback to another age, though with all the mod cons, and a surprising modern ethic & friendly staff.

Equally, the restaurant was Michelin rated, and the pork with some sort of “hash brown” included, was divine.

Various, including a Bar Billiards table

The place is still part of a mammoth estate, south of the Cairngorms, and has an old school vibe and attached 9-hole golf course, where we had a walk the next day; and although it was a golf course, the views were still stunning.

After the course hike, we then travelled to the nearby village / town of Dunkeld – which will be in Part 3 (a complete surprise)

Warwick, England – A hike along the Grand Union Canal (to Hatton)

The last week, I had the fortune to be in south England for a week, and was based in the charming town of Warwick. Warwick resembled Ludlow (from a few weeks ago) but was on a smaller hill with no castle, though it did have a multitude of older, cute buildings, which I will blog about later in the week.

What I did do, as I was normally in the flat, working; was to go on a short, charming canal walk, with a subsequent visit to a beautiful pub for lunch.

As the map above shows, we started in the centre of Warwick, traversed the Warwick Race Course (more on that later), and continued along the Grand Union Canal for about an hour, had lunch and returned.

Along the way we enjoyed the much hotter weather in the south of England and noted both there and back, a variety of locks known as the “Stairway to Heaven“, that has 21 Locks (!!) in total.

At the end of the outward journey, was the Hatton Arms pub, which resembled more of a hotel complex, rather than a “pub” – though it was still amiable as I sat outside drinking a lovely pint of real ale, with Thai fish cakes and mash – lovely!

Coming back was slightly quickly, as I was going downhill and the return was done via the town centre of Warwick.

More from Warwick and the surroundings later.

Glasgow – More Street Art / Posters – Have an Interactive Wander . . .

Interesting poster:

You always wonder why some of this type of thing, has not been done before and in even greater quantities.

This “democratisation” of tourist “things”, such as museums, exhibitions, public parks, etc, can only be a good thing, and at the same time actually will spread the areas where tourists (and locals!) can go to encounter the tourist experience.

I approve wholeheartedly.